Adequate sleep is supposed to leave you feeling refreshed and ready to start your day. But if your sleep is interrupted, you're likely to feel fatigued and sleepy the next day. So what gives? There are several factors that may interfere with getting your zzz's including the following:

Making the above listed process a routine will go a long way in improving the quality of sleep. Most of these ideas are things under your control. While they might not be mastered in a day, gradually adhering and applying them in your lifestyle could greatly influence your quality of sleep.

To avoid the shock of the early wake up alarm, as well as a school year experienced through a haze of sleep deprivation, here are some back to school sleep tips to make the transition from summer to fall a little bit easier on your family.

Newborns sleep about 16 hours a day, but as they age they develop a homeostatic mechanism that balances their increasing ability to stay awake and their ongoing need for sleep. The circadian rhythm of sunlight and darkness helps to drive one part of this mechanism.

I had a great interview with Shawn Stevenson about his new book "Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to a Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success." As a peak performance coach, I understand the importance of sleep, yet the science and research he shares in his book blew me away.

If you're one of the lucky ones working at one of these front-running sleep friendly companies: What's the best way to make the most out of your nap? And what if you're not so lucky and need to squeeze your nap into your weekend? Here I outline three rules for the perfect nap.